An Obstinant Addition
by NicoV
Summary: Five years after the events in Breaking Dawn, Carlisle saves a young man's life by changing him and the Cullens add another member to their family. However, unlike the rest of the Cullens, he is stubborn and wants almost no part of the life of a vampire. As the Cullens attempt to get him to come around, they must also deal with new threats and more problems from the Volturi.
1. A Bloody Situation

**A/N: Yes, I did delete the whole story since I didn't know you could replace/update chapters XD as you can tell, I'm new to writing stories on this site. I do want to make some minor changes to the story and I hope to make the chapters a bit longer and more descriptive. Nevertheless, I'm keeping my author's note below in case you are completely new to my story. If you are a returner from before I deleted it, welcome back lol**

 **Hello readers! First of all, thank you for giving my story a chance. Also, just a warning, I am VERY NEW to the world of Twilight. I know the all the main characters and the basics and all that stuff, but I have yet to read any of the books, so if there are ever certain details in my story that don't match up with details in the books/movies, I apologize! I plan on reading the books soon :p**

 **But for now, please enjoy this story. I'd appreciate favs, follows, or any reviews on how you like the story or suggestions for improvements! Thank you!**

"Come on, move."

Stanley Nowak put his hand to the button that controlled the air horn of the ambulance and pressed it repeatedly, shaking his head as the cars in front of him slowly pulled to the side.

"I swear; it's like people have never seen an ambulance nowadays," he muttered and finally lifted his finger from the button as John, his paramedic partner began laughing.

"'Nowadays?' Kid, what do you know about 'nowadays?' This is your first year, you ain't got nothing to compare it to," he said in between chuckles. Stanley scoffed back and cracked a sheepish smile.

"But am I wrong?" He asked, sticking his hand out, motioning to the road in front of him as he continued down the road.

"No," John said with a tilt of the head, but chuckled again. "Anyways, you worry too much."

"That's part of the job."

"Wrong," John shook his head. "The job, Stan, is to help people. We leave the worrying to the patients themselves."

"Well, then you're too…" Stanley replied, thinking of a word. He tapped the steering wheel and pointed to John once he got one. "Relaxed. You're too relaxed, John."

"Or you're too anxious," John answered and Stanley gave another slightly embarrassed smile and nod.

"Probably."

Stanley would always get a bit nervous when John teased him. They'd been working together for a few months now, almost four, but this was Stanley's first year. Fresh out of high school and training and here he was, working with a 15 year paramedic veteran who was way too intimidating to Stanley, despite John being one of the nicest people Stanley knew.

"Eh, it's ok," John said, waving it off. "I was like you when I was a rookie. Get the shakes and nerves before every call, on the way there too." John laughed and pointed to Stanley's arm. "Like you're doing now."

Stanley suddenly became aware of his arm shaking due to nerves and quickly gripped the wheel tighter in an attempt to stop it, and forced a laugh as he did so. "I can't help it. I always think something is gonna go wrong during every call."

"Let me tell you something, kid," John said and Stanley made a left turn. He didn't particularly like being called 'kid' by John, but knew it was a term of endearment, in a way. Like John was Stanley's mentor or older brother. "Worked as an EMT and Paramedic for nearly 15 years and only…" John paused, counting his fingers and thinking. "Only seen 45 or 46 people kick the bucket. That's, like, only about three a year."

"That's it?" Stanley asked after a brief moment of hesitation, mildly surprised by the low number over the span of John's 15 years. John nodded and Stanley purses his lips, nodding back slowly. "That's actually not bad."

"Yeah, not bad, see? That's what I'm saying. You don't need to worry," John said, but sighed a bit. "That's easier said than done, though. Especially when you run into fires, I tell ya."

"See, that's not too bad for me," Stanley said and John let out a surprised breath.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Stanley said with a nod. "Like, the call we had last week when I was with Truck 22, I just ran into the he building on instinct, y'know? Nothing would've stopped me."

"Hmph," John scoffed and lightly tapped Stanley's arm with the back of his hand. "Sounds like you should be a full-time firefighter. Not half-n-half with paramedic duties."

"I like variety, blood _and_ fire," Stanley morbidly joked and John laughed.

"Whatever you say, man. I like one thing, and I stick with it," John said and nodded to himself. That was true, Stanley knew. He was like John, both of them had gotten jobs at the Milwaukee Fire Department, House 7, just a few months after they graduated high school. John was young for being a 15 year veteran at something, as he was only 33 or 34, Stanley wasn't entirely sure. He was sure that he wanted to be just like John, though. A veteran paramedic, which wasn't very common. Stanley felt like he belonged in this occupation, and his life couldn't have been any more perfect.

A decent apartment at 18 and his high school sweetheart, Hailey, by his side, along with his dream job was all he needed to be happy and fulfilled.

Well, high school sweetheart was a bit of an overestimate, Stanley thought. They had only been together for two years, but Stanley knew he was deeply in love and that she was the one he would be with forever.

No matter what.

"Here we go," John said quietly as Stanley pulled into the alley they were called to, breaking Stanley's thoughts up. A man was down from unknown causes and Stanley scanned the scene carefully, looking for any nearby witnesses. All he saw, however, was the silhouette of a person lying near a puddle of dirty water. John got out of the ambulance before Stanley even put it in park and John quickly headed to the back for the gurney. Stanley put the vehicle in park and shut off the sirens, but allowed the lights to keep flashing. Stanley hopped out of the ambulance and helped John grab the gurney and other equipment, and as he did so, he continued to scan the area for witnesses, but still saw no one.

"I got all this, grab the gear bag and check on the victim," John said and Stanley nodded quickly, grabbing the bag and jogging over to the victim. He knelt down and saw the man barely conscious, a blood stain on his stomach.

"Hey, buddy," Stanley said in a chirpy voice, getting the victim's attention. He quickly unbuttoned the man's shirt and saw a gunshot wound. "GSW!" he shouted back to John, before turning his attention back to the victim. "What's your name, bud?"

"Pete...Peter…" the man said in a faint voice.

"Peter, my name is Stanley and my friend over there is John, we're here to help, ok?" Stanley said, taking Peter's blood pressure as he continued to talk. "How old are you?"

"32…" Peter responded in the same fading tone.

"32? You look about 22 to me, man," Stanley joked nervously, as that was what John would do with a patient. A joke to keep the victim aware and attentive.

Stanley checked Peter's blood pressure, which was extremely low, and immediately became worried of internal bleeding. "John," Stanley said as he applied the sterile piece of cloth to Peter's wound. John rolled the gurney over and also knelt down to help Stanley.

"This is Ambulance 31 from Fire House 7, we got a GSW victim on Iris Street, can you send a few uniforms down here? Shooter isn't nearby but this is a crime scene," John said into his radio as he checked Peter's pulse.

" _Copy that, ETA is about thirty minutes,_ " the dispatcher responded, and John went back to focusing his full attention on Peter.

"Thirty minutes?" John asked Stanley with surprise, but Stanley just gave a shrug, more focused on helping Peter right now.

"You know who shot you, Peter?" Stanley asked, but he looked to Peter and saw his eyes roll to the back of his head while his eyelids fluttered.

"Peter?" John asked, already reaching for the defibrillator. "Peter?" John repeated, and was about to charge up the machine, but his eyes focused on something just behind Stanley.

"John?" Stanley asked, and was about to ask a follow up question, but felt a sharp pain enter his side. He felt something physically enter his body, then it was removed, and Stanley yelled out in pain. In another quick motion, Stanley saw John begin to stand up, but a gunshot to the head caused John to fly backwards.

"John!" Stanley shouted, gritting his teeth in pain from the wound he received, which he perceived as a stab wound. Stanley then felt a blow to the back of his head that pushed him to the ground, landing him directly in the puddle of murky water. He heard another shot and saw a bullet enter Peter's chest.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here!" Stanley heard an unfamiliar voice say, and as he fought to groan out again in pain, he saw two figures run out of the alley.

There was a brief moment in where Stanley could see their faces reflect off the dim streetlight. Stanley took half a second to swear to himself that, if he were to survive this, he would track down those men and deliver justice. Not only did they attack him, but John and Peter as well.

Stanley's eyes flickered to the other limp body next to him.

Peter.

Stanley forced himself up and tried his best to ignore the burning pain in his side and the hot pain behind his head. He crawled to Peter and put two fingers to his neck, feeling no pulse. Immediately, he stumbled over to John and put the same two fingers to his neck, but again, felt no pulse.

"No…" Stanley muttered, his throat going tight. "John! John!" Stanley quickly fumbled for his radio, fighting back tears, but became still when he heard voices at the end of the alley. He saw three figures coming into the alley, but none of their physique's matched the two attackers. At least two of the three figures were women, Stanley could tell, and the last one was not as tall as the two attackers. However, Stanley still reached for his radio. The three figures got closer to Stanley and he began backing up, not trusting anyone at the moment and focused on getting help from the dispatcher.

"This is him, right?" The man of the three figures asked the shortest one. Stanley finally looked up to them and could faintly see their faces with the help of the light on a nearby building. The man had light hair, cut in a clean fashion, while the short woman had a dark pixie cut. The other woman had blonde hair and, despite the current predicament Stanley found himself in, he thought of her as very beautiful. "This is who you saw in your vision?"

Vision? Stanley wasn't sure he was hearing correctly anymore.

He became increasingly confused and scared and continued to stumble back on all fours, feeling his side stinging as he did so.

"Yes," the short woman answered and, suddenly, the man appeared next to Stanley, kneeling next to him.

"Stop!" he shouted, feeling the man lift up the side of Stanley's shirt. "Please, don't hurt me!" Stanley felt his own voice finally break, as it was slowly tightening due to the realization that John was dead.

Stanley saw the blonde woman shift uncomfortably, her eyes darting over to the tiny woman, who ignored the blonde's stares that seemed to plead for something.

"Your stab wound is infected," the man said, inspecting the gash on Stanley's side. Stanley's attention turned back to the man in front of him. Stanley looked to his own wound and saw blood flowing out at a relatively steady rate. "You won't survive long before you bleed out." Stanley brushed off the man again and finally grabbed his radio.

"This is Nowak from Ambulance 31, my partner is down and so is the victim!" Stanley exclaimed into the receiver. The unfamiliar man stood up and turned to the two women behind him.

"It's too public here," Stanley heard him say and his eyes grew wide with fear.

Too public?

Were these people here to finish off Stanley?

He became so scared that he forced himself up and started to run to the other end of the alley, his side hurting worse than ever as he ran as fast as he could. He ignored the pain and fatigue due to blood loss, his adrenaline outweighing both heavily. Nothing was going to stop Stanley from escaping the alley filled with confusion and horror, except that the man suddenly appeared in front of him, causing Stanley to stagger backwards. Stanley kept his balance, however, and threw a punch.

All the force Stanley could muster went into the punch, but the man easily dodged it, and the force behind Stanley's punch was too great for his weak state that he fell forward, everything going black just as he hit the gravel below him.

 **A/N: This is my very first story, so I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I will update soon if you all enjoyed!**


	2. The Transformation

"This will never get old," Bella whispered in slight awe, looking up at Renesmee hop from tree to tree with ease.

Renesmee, a five year old who acted, talked, matured, and looked like a 17 or 18 year old, smiled down at her parents, both of whom smiled back.

Bella had her arms wrapped around Edward's left arm, the right side of her face resting not entirely too comfortably on his bicep. However, it wasn't about trying to get comfortable for Bella. It was just more about embracing him further; feeling his touch even further.

The more she felt his touch, the happier she was.

"Watching Renesmee or watching Jake?" Edward scoffed, also quietly, to avoid Jacob hearing them. Bella shifted her eyes to Jacob who was anxiously and cautiously standing on a thick branch, close to the trunk and laughing nervously as he watched Renesmee jump without fear. Not that Jacob was nervous for Renesmee; he has finally come to realize that she was part vampire, which meant she was strong, fast, agile, and a million other things that meant he didn't need to be overprotective of her all the time.

The reason he was worried was because _he_ was not as agile as Renesmee was. Whenever they did certain things, he couldn't always keep up with her due to the fact that he was not a vampire. Just like there were certain things that _she_ couldn't keep up with since she was no shapeshifter and was only half-vampire.

Nevertheless, the two had grown from sibling-like friends to partners, much to the joy of the two of them.

Bella was happy for her daughter, knowing that Jacob would always protect Renesmee no matter what. Bella accepting the fact that Jacob imprinted on Renesmee certainly made the two more comfortable.

Edward, although he accepted Jacob imprinting on Renesmee and had been acting appropriately around the two for the past few years, wasn't necessarily as happy as Bella was. He wasn't unhappy, just was a bit more cautious and protective of Renesmee towards Jacob, always trying to remind Jacob of whom was the most important man in Renesmee's life. Ironically, it was Edward who was trying to be some sort of Alpha over Jacob despite Jacob being an Alpha himself.

Jacob quickly picked up on this observation and was respectful towards Edward to appease both Bella and Renesmee. He'd back off and let Renesmee be with Edward, for example, if Edward were to remind Jacob of who the man is. However, Jacob would still linger around, as he almost never let Renesmee out of his sight, despite him knowing that she didn't always need him to protect her.

That wasn't why he was always around, though. The two were indeed lovers and the attraction was an intense one. Especially this past year, as Renesmee has finally grown to a more mature state, the two became involved in a romantically infused relationship that involved a lot of teasing, flirting, and kissing: much to Edward's dismay.

"Both," Bella said back, laughing a little bit and looking to Jacob, who heard the laughter. He looked down, giving a sarcastically annoyed look, and looked back up to Renesmee.

"Ness, I'm gonna head inside. It's getting kinda late," Jacob said, making up some kind of excuse to get her out of the trees. Renesmee, being part human, did need her sleep too.

Just like Jacob wouldn't usually leave Renesmee alone, she wouldn't leave him alone, the past few months in particular. She wanted to be by him for the majority of the time.

"Alright, I guess you're right," Renesmee said, jumping down from the tree with great ease. She landed and headed over to her parents, Bella giving her a warm smile and fixing her hair as Renesmee looked up to Jacob. Edward looked up as well, Jacob having a hesitant relook on his face.

"C'mon, Jake," Edward taunted. "Your turn. Jump down."

"Sure thing, Dad," Jacob snipped back, as was his usual comment whenever Edward screwed with him.

"I told you don't call me that," Edward quickly reminded. Jacob gave a smirk.

 _I never forgot_ , he mentally reminded Edward, who had to summon a decent amount of self-control to prevent himself from snarling at Jacob in front of Renesmee and Bella.

Renesmee was already next to Jacob as his feet touched the ground and she wrapped her arms around him, especially enjoying the rigid feel of the muscles in his arms and torso. She let her hands roam as she leaned in for a kiss, Jacob quickly accepting the invitation and placing his hands on her hips, which was the line for Edward.

"Alright," he said, interrupting the two as they looked to him. "Let's all head in for the night."

He and Bella headed in, but Renesmee prevented Jacob from heading in.

"What?" Jacob asked with a confused laugh.

"Nothing, just…" Renesmee said quietly, cracking a smile. "I just really love you."

Jacob now was the one to crack a happy smile and the two leaned in for a kiss, but Renesmee stopped, whipping her head back towards the house.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked, but Renesmee didn't answer right away and just continued to stare in the direction of the house. "Renesmee?"

"There's a human…" she said slowly and, to Jacob, seemed to have trouble keeping her cool. She lowered her voice. "And there's a lot of blood."

"Ness…" Jacob warned carefully, grabbing her arm softly but holding on firmly.

Renesmee was raised a vegetarian and hadn't had a problem until two years ago, back when the family was in Maine. She was on a walk with her Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett when someone jogging fell and scraped their knee ahead of them. Renesmee smelled the human blood and, despite being part human herself, was tempted by the appetizing fluid and ended up attacking the man before either Rose or Emmett could stop her.

By the time they had pried her off of the innocent jogger, she had already killed him and was hungry for more. The two had to practically drag her back to the house, and within a day, the family had moved to Wisconsin to escape the area.

Renesmee thought about that time and, although she still felt extremely guilty, her mouth watered.

She had been good since then, but was still occasionally tempted by human blood, especially the large amounts that she was smelling right now.

Renesmee shot her head back and looked to Jacob's hand wrapped around her bicep to prevent her from going after the blood.

"Stay cool," Jacob warned and Renesmee shook him off with mild annoyance.

"I know, I will," Renesmee said with the same mild annoyance, as she had always been insecure about her self-control ever since the incident in Maine.

The two of them headed towards the house, Jacob following close behind her as he opened the back door for her. Inside, they heard a great amount of commotion.

"I can't believe you're doing this, Carlisle," Rosalie said in a raised voice. Renesmee closed her eyes and breathed in heavily, either taking in another scent or trying to calm herself down. Either way, Jacob put a hand on Renesmee's lower back in a both comforting way and a reminder for her to keep her cool. They went into the kitchen, where they heard the commotion, and saw a man laying on the floor, a pool of blood near his side, and Carlisle and Alice kneeling beside him. Rosalie looked down at them, her arms crossed, and Emmett hooked his arm around her in a comforting way. Esme and Jasper also watched, as did Bella and Edward. Jacob carefully glanced over to Renesmee and saw her struggling to control herself in front of the pool of blood.

The man on the floor was conscious, but barely. He was groaning very quietly every few seconds and would try and roll to one side, but Carlisle and Alice prevented him from moving too much as to reduce the amount of blood exiting his body.

"What else is there to do?" Carlisle asked, looking up to Rosalie.

"How about take him to a _hospital_?" Rosalie snapped in a tone that made the answer seem obvious.

"I saw him in a vision, Rose," Alice said. "He's meant to be a part of the family."

"That doesn't mean anything!" She said, raising her voice even louder. "This is _murder_."

"It's not murder, babe," Emmett said quietly, careful to not be too against Rosalie's stance. He rubbed her gently, but she shook him off.

"You're stealing this man's life! It's murder," Rosalie repeated, pointing to the young man bleeding on the floor. "Look at him; he's practically a _boy_!"

"Rose, if Alice saw him in her visions, it's meant to be," Esme pointed out.

"Alice's visions are important, Rose," Jasper mentioned a bit defensively. "We can't just disregard them, you know."

"That still doesn't change the fact that this is wrong. We can make the choice for him to have him not be a part of the family and continue to be human!" Rosalie said, her voice raised.

"We can also make the choice to save his life," Alice snapped back.

"You could've done that by taking him to a hospital first-" Rosalie said, but was cut off by Carlisle.

"Enough!" He interrupted and turned to Rosalie, pointing a bloody hand to her in a calm way, but also in a way that warned her. "You should've said something earlier when we went to go get him. Anyways, it's too late to take him to a hospital now. He's barely conscious and he's less than ten minutes away from bleeding out. He either dies or I infect him."

Everyone was silent and Carlisle was looking to Rosalie, knowing she obviously didn't want the man to die. She bit her inner cheek, swallowed her words and relinquished, abruptly leaving the room, as she didn't want anymore part of the situation. Emmett quickly followed her and Carlisle sighed, seeing Renesmee once he looked around to everyone else.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said to his granddaughter, not expecting her to be there. He looked back to the bleeding man in front of him and then looked to Jacob, ignoring a groan from the man. "Can you take her out of here please, Jacob? She shouldn't see…" Carlisle grabbed the man's wrist, which caused the man to groan and try to pull away in confusion, and then tilted his head towards the man. "All this."

"Yeah," Jacob nodded and took Renesmee's hand, causing her to look away from the man to Jacob. "Let's head upstairs."

Edward's eyes darted up to Jacob, but Carlisle regained his attention.

"Alice and Edward, stay here and help me hold him still. He's going to be more awake when the venom enters."

Bella headed over to Renesmee and led her to her room, Jacob following behind and heading to bed himself, in a separate room per Edward and Bella's request. Jasper and Esme left the room, but stayed close in case their help was needed.

"This isn't wrong, right?" He asked, recalling what Rosalie said about how controversial the situation was.

"Of course not," Edward said in a reassuring tone, grabbing slight hold of the man's free hand and left leg, ready to restrain him when the venom would enter.

"Carlisle, he would've died had we not been there," Alice said, motioning to the man. "And, like I've said, he's been in a few of my visions. He is meant to be here."

Carlisle hesitated again, but nodded, as if reminding himself this was the right decision. "Ok," Carlisle said quietly, and lifted the man's wrist to his mouth. He opened his mouth and sunk his teeth in the man's wrist, causing the then-barely conscious man to become more awake and scream out in pain.

Carlisle found that scream especially agonizing and difficult to withstand.

Maybe it was because it had been awhile since he had done such a thing; changing a person into a vampire.

Maybe it was because the man in front of him looked young and was _indeed_ young, unlike most of his family who were nearly a century old.

Maybe, Carlisle finally admitted, it was because the young man's stab wound was also a painful thing to handle. Mix that with the vampire venom, two-to-five days of pain, and one gets a recipe for what true Hell feels like.

The man convulsed, his legs and arms twitching and jerking up occasionally, a steady stream of screaming and groaning exiting his mouth. The young man's eyes shot around in every direction, not able to focus on anything other than the pain raging throughout his body.

"Hey, hey," Carlisle said calmly, still not even knowing the name of the young man they had brought in. There was no time to check for any identification on the man; right as Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie returned with him, Rose started heckling Carlisle about how they shouldn't have done this. That drew attention from the whole family, and it turned into one big discussion, which left no time for anything else. "Look at me."

The young man's eyes darted to Carlisle and the young man continued to thrash, not entirely too violently, but frequently.

"It's ok, it's alright," Carlisle shushed, although the young man's thrashing didn't seize. "Just focus on my voice, ok? Focus on _me_." The young man kept his eyes on Carlisle. "I know it's hard to understand right now, but currently, you are becoming a vampire," Carlisle said, trying to explain.

Despite the young man's eyes being focused on Carlisle, Edward could tell that he wasn't comprehending anything being said to him.

"He can't concentrate on what you're saying," Edward grunted, carefully forcing the young man's jerking arm back down as to not break it in the process. He continued to read the young man's mind, which was a swarm of shouting and cursing. "Everything's just going in one ear and out the other."

Carlisle looked to the young man with pity, feeling a bit sorry for his own self, too. There was now nothing to help distract Carlisle from the awful screams and groans, as the young man struggling before him couldn't even fathom what was being said to him.

Carlisle internally braced himself, as the next few days would be painful for both him and the young man in front of him.


	3. Meeting the Family

_Get up_.

Stanley's eyes shot open, searching for the voice he heard. He could see clearly and perfectly, despite the dark room he found himself in. His eyes scanned the room with an alert pace, but he found that he was alone in this mysterious bedroom.

His throat felt tight and his mouth was a bit dry.

 _Get up and get out. Feed later._

Stanley's eyes flickered again, his vision inspected each fiber of the room carefully, again looking for the voice.

He didn't see anyone, but could see every inch of the room in detail.

Dust lingered through the air.

Stanley's head shot behind him, seeing a spider crawling on the wall.

Outside, Stanley could hear the trees rustling in the wind.

Wait, feed? What did that mean, _feed_?

 _Focus. Downstairs. There are people downstairs._

Stanley heard faint voices through the door to his right, but still did not see the person who was talking to him.

 _Listen at the door. Listen_.

Stanley's lips parted slightly, his mouth opening just barely in awe and confusion. He reached his hand up, feeling the back of his temple and running his fingers along the area. The voice...the voice was coming from inside.

Like his conscience; but for some odd reason, his conscience was now a voice he could hear in his head.

No, this voice was _more_ than his conscience. He didn't know what it was, but he kind of appreciated it.

The voice didn't speak again, Stanley noticed. He used the time to try and piece together what he could remember.

Him and John were on call in that alley and...

Oh, man...John…

...wait...Stanley's moment of grief was interrupted by the weirdest and most painful thing that occurred recently.

He was bitten.

By a _person_.

He remembered almost everything.

He remembered the alley. The three people cornering him and taking him somewhere, some house.

He remembered lying on a floor and hearing people talk loud and argue, although he couldn't make out distinct words that people said around him.

He remembered the man from the alley talking directly to Stanley and then sinking his teeth into Stanley's wrist.

Finally, he remembered the pain; the awful, sharp, burning pain that set his whole arm, and eventually body, on fire. He remembered convulsing and writhing in pain, a rotating pair of hands either holding him down or holding his hand in an attempt to comfort an unbearable and unexplainable pain within him.

" _I know, I know, I know it hurts,_ " the voices would say. " _I'm so sorry, but you're doing great. You'll be fine._ "

Or at least something along those lines.

He had experienced that pain for what felt like weeks, but he didn't know entirely how long it had indeed been since he passed out. He would never forget that pain the rest of his life, however.

Stanley quickly rolled up his right sleeve, expecting to see dried blood and a nasty wound, but instead only saw a faint scar in which one could barely tell it was even a bite at all, let alone a human bite.

 _Get up!_

The voice returned, and seemed urgent. Stanley obeyed his talking and demanding conscience and stood up, feeling surprised that he wasn't wobbly or dizzy upon standing.

He looked around again, a mirror in front of him catching his eye. He walked over to it, inspecting what he saw before him.

Stanley had always considered himself pretty good looking. Whether it was confidence, a little vanity, or the truth, Stanley knew he was an attractive man.

Now, however, he hardly recognized the handsome devil in front of him.

Stanley's now-pale skin looked flawless, he thought. His jawbone seemed more defined and sharper than before. His face was symmetrical, perfectly symmetrical, and his hair…

Oh, his _hair!_

He scoffed a little as he ran his fingers through his brown hair, feeling how soft and clean it felt despite the Hell he had just gone through.

He noticed he was still in his paramedic uniform, but noticed that his body looked more...established. Muscular.

He had always been in good shape; he ran everyday and lifted on occasion, too, but he definitely noticed a difference in his physique. He smirked a little. He didn't know _why_ he was different and knew that this was not the time to gawk at himself, but he couldn't help himself.

His eyes trailed down to the lower part of his shirt and he saw a dark, dried stain of blood. Stanley's eyebrows knit into a confused expression as the quickly lifted up his shirt.

He felt where his stab wound was supposed to be, but felt nothing.

No bandage, no cloth, not even the gash left from the stab itself. It was like it had never even happened and Stanley went from worried and confused to extremely cautious and absolutely perplexed.

His eyes shot back up to the mirror and he looked at his own face again, this time ignoring its pure beauty and focusing on something else. Stanley slowly approached the mirror and looked at his own eyes.

His once light blue eyes, like the color of the sky, were now bright red.

Like the color of blood.

No, he thought to himself. Not like blood. That was morbid.

Like a firetruck.

Yeah. Stanley smiled a little, ignoring the fear that traveled through his body as he thought of something familiar.

Red, like a firetruck.

 _Listen at the door_.

The voice snapped Stanley out of his trivial thoughts and shifted him back towards safety. Stanley swung his head to the direction of the door and approached it, pressing his ear up against it.

" _...time do they play?"_ A voice said. A deeper voice, one that made Stanley think of a big, tall guy.

Like John.

Like John _was_.

" _7:30, I think. They're playing the Angels."_ Another male, although not quite as deep or intimidating. Instead, this voice was low and quieter. Stanley picked up on a slight Southern accent in his voice.

Stanley felt a bit shocked that he was able to hear all of this, but his thoughts were interrupted by more talking.

" _My show is on tonight,"_ a woman, this time, said quickly. Stanley heard a low murmur that he couldn't make out. The woman's voice returned. " _The attitude isn't appreciated, you know. And you two are going to have your hands full later anyway."_

" _You're going to have to help too, Rose,"_ the low, Southern voice taunted with a humorous scoff.

" _You know where I stand with this situation,"_ the woman, 'Rose', hissed. Her voice was dangerous, not sounding amused at all. " _I don't want to be around when he snaps."_

Stanley shuddered, as he figured the 'he' the woman was referring to was Stanley.

" _Is he up yet?"_ The deep voice asked, changing the subject slightly.

 _Get out. Through the window._

Stanley responded to his internal voice and looked to the window. He wanted to obey the mysterious voice within him, but personal curiosity kept him at the door, continuing to listen.

" _How am I supposed to know?"_ Rose said, sounding bored and annoyed. Stanley's eyes narrowed at this woman's hostility.

" _I wasn't asking you,"_ the deep voice responded. There was a moment of silence and Stanley eagerly pushed his ear to the door further, worrying he wasn't close enough to hear the continuation of the conversation. " _Alice."_

" _I'm looking right now,"_ a new voice piped. Her voice was high and seemed non-threatening.

Stanley quickly recognized the voice, as it belonged to the tiny girl he saw in the alley.

" _Well?"_ The deep voice asked.

" _I mean, I see his future. That doesn't tell you if he's awake or not, though,"_ the tiny girl replied. " _Edward would be able to tell, if he was here. He's out with Bella and Renesmee right now."_

" _That's good. Nessie shouldn't be here when he wakes up,"_ a new voice said. Another male.

" _Alright, well_ ," the deep voice groaned, sounding like he was standing up. " _I'll go see the new little brother for myself."_

" _You will not_ ," Stanley heard a new voice order. The voice was calm, quiet, and firm.

He recognized that voice, too.

The man from the alley.

" _Why?"_ The deep voice whined.

" _Let him rest in peace. He had a painful four days and it's a blessing that he passed out for the last few hours,"_ the man from the alley answered.

" _Four days,"_ the deep voice scoffed, groaning a bit. Stanley could tell that he sat back down. " _See, that's why I'm eager to meet this kid. I couldn't imagine going through the transformation for four days. Two was plenty, thank you very much."_

Stanley backed away from the door, fear now running clearly through his veins.

He noticed he wasn't breathing; why wasn't he breathing?

He didn't feel the need to breath, and the thought was unsettling, along with the rest of the situation.

 _Get out, leave,_ the voice interrupted.

Stanley finally returned to listening to the voice and reached for the door knob.

 _The window_. _Through the window_.

He quickly turned around.

Too quick.

Stanley pushed the thought aside and went to the window. He grabbed the blinds and tore them down with ease, pressing his forehead against the glass and looking down. He was on the second story of the house and gulped nervously as he looked to the ground outside the window.

 _Find someone. Anyone. Find help._

He unlocked it and was about to open it, ready to make his escape, but heard shouting and sets of feet running up the stairs and before he could even comprehend them, the door to his room burst open. Stanley opened the window, his fingers shaking nervously.

"Stop him!" He heard the tiny girl shout. He felt two pairs of arms wrap around him, pulling him back with great force and pinning him to the ground.

"No!" He shouted, struggling against the hands that held him down.

The two people holding him down were two guys.

One with dark brown hair, who was much bigger than Stanley.

The other had honey-blond hair that was a bit longer.

He felt that he was stronger than the two people holding him down as he shook their hands free and was able to sit up for a brief moment. They forced him back down, however, and he groaned out again.

"What was he trying to do?" The big guy, who had the deep voice from downstairs, groaned out as he forced Stanley down.

"He was going to find help," the tiny girl responded.

Stanley glanced over to where her voice came from, seeing four more people.

The man from the alley, he recognized faintly.

The two women, also.

He then saw a man with tan skin, who Stanley guessed was of Native American descent.

Stanley thought he smelled dog.

"Get off, stop!" Stanley cried out as the big guy holding him down twisted his arm in a peculiar way, rendering it nearly useless. The other man did the same, holding Stanley down in a way that prevented any movement from his arms at all.

Out of anger and fear, Stanley viciously kicked his legs up, nearly hitting the man from the alley in the nose.

"Look at what you're doing to him!" The blonde woman from the alley complained, looking directly to the big guy, and then the honey-blond one holding Stanley down. "Let him up!"

"Rose-" the big guy grunted, repositioning his hands as Stanley continued to struggle. "What do you expect us to do?!"

"Jasper," the man from the alley said quietly and, suddenly, Stanley felt calmer.

He stopped struggling without control and felt his body relax.

He expected to feel his breathing and heart rate slow, but...neither of those things happened.

Neither of those things _were_ happening ever since he woke up.

The man from the alley kneeled down, getting closer to Stanley. "How're you feeling, Stanley?"

Stanley instinctively tried to struggle out of fear, as he was scared that this mysterious man knew his name, but the sudden calm that swept his body prevented him from violently resisting.

"How do you know my name?" Stanley asked in a small voice. He was terrified and would've started to cry if he could. He shifted uncomfortably and spoke again, his voice cracking. "What do you people _want?"_

"I promise that we are not going to hurt you, ok?" the man from the alley said in a tranquil voice, his eyes seeming genuine. "Do you believe me?"

 _He's telling the truth. He can be trusted._

Stanley, even more confused, wondered why the voice was now telling him to accept and trust these people.

His sighed and his eyes softened. He nodded, trusting the voice in his head.

"Now," the man said, briefly looking to the two men holding Stanley down. "We're going to let you up, ok? And bring you downstairs so you can sit and we can explain. But you have to be calm, alright?" Stanley hesitated, not nodding just yet. "No running, alright? Trust me; it's for your own safety."

Stanley waited for the voice, as he had already grown used to it, but heard nothing.

It was like the voice couldn't decide if it was safer to go along with the man's instructions or to take another shot at running.

Stanley decided for himself and nodded to the man.

He nodded back, forcing a smile, and then looked to the two men holding Stanley.

They both helped him up carefully, the big guy still holding onto Stanley's arm, however. The man exited first, followed by the blonde girl. Then, Stanley and the big guy gripping his arm exited, and then the honey-blond man with the tiny girl exited. Finally, the Native American man who smelled like a dog followed behind them.

Stanley groaned internally, as he was now surrounded by the mysterious people and his thoughts of escaping dissipated.

They reached the first floor and Stanley was led to a room with a few couches and a TV. The big man sat Stanley on one of the couches and sat next to him. The man from the alley sat next to an unfamiliar woman with brown hair who was already on the couch across from him. The blonde woman sat on the other side of the big guy next to Stanley, and the honey-blond man and the tiny girl sat on a couch adjacent from Stanley's couch. The Native American man did not follow them into the room; instead, he was in the kitchen, rustling through the fridge.

"First of all," the man from the alley said with a friendly smile. Stanley remained stoic, still feeling unnaturally calm. Although the tightness in his throat was still present. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Carlisle, and this is my family."

Carlisle put his arm around the woman beside him, the one who was entirely new to Stanley. "This is my wife Esme, those are my sons Emmett and Jasper," Carlisle said, motioning the the big guy next to Stanley and the honey-blond. "That's Jacob," Carlisle said, pointing to the Native American man in the kitchen. "And my daughters, Alice and Rosalie," he finished, pointing to the tiny girl and beautiful blonde. "And you are Stanley Nowak." Carlisle held out a hand before Stanley had the chance to ask how he knew his name again and pulled a wallet out of his back pocket, tossing it to Stanley. Stanley opened it and saw it was his own wallet.

"Now, this may be a bit difficult to comprehend," Carlisle continued, but Stanley just stared down at his wallet. He looked to his driver's license and the picture of himself on it. "But let's start with what you remember, hm?"

Stanley was much better-looking now than in the picture, he thought to himself.

"Stanley?" Carlisle asked and Stanley shot his head up. "What do you remember?"

"I, uh-" Stanley started to say, but found his throat tighten even more. "I remember the...alley, and…" Stanley looked down before returning his eyes to Carlisle. "John. Is John ok?" Stanley asked eagerly, although he already knew the answer.

He just needed someone, anyone, to say it out loud.

"I'm sorry, but your friend did not make it. He suffered a GSW to the frontal lobe. He died instantly," Carlisle said. "The patient also didn't make it. Two abdominal GSWs; the second one ripped through his left heart valve."

 _He's a doctor,_ Stanley's inner voice said.

"What else do you remember?" Carlisle said, pressing on.

"Uh…" Stanley said slowly, trying to push the fear in his body away. He was calm, but that didn't mean he still wasn't scared. "I got stabbed and I saw you." Stanley pointed to Carlisle, then to Alice and Rosalie. "And you, and you."

Carlisle nodded as everyone else watched this slow exchange. Stanley noticed, however, the big guy next to him bouncing his knee up anxiously, as if he was anticipating something.

"And after that? You remember being brought here?" Carlisle asked and Stanley nodded, growing angry and disturbed again when he remembered that he was bitten by Carlisle.

 _He is not a threat,_ the voice reminded Stanley and he calmed himself down this time.

"Yes," Stanley answered stiffly. "You _bit_ me."

Carlisle, along with everyone else except for the blonde, Rosalie, snickered a bit.

As if the situation was funny.

"Yes, I did," Carlisle said and his smile quickly faded when he saw Stanley's unamused expression. "That saved your life, however."

"Saved my _life_?" Stanley hissed, about to stand up.

 _He's right. The bite saved your life._

Stanley went tense as he forced himself to stay sitting, especially when he saw Emmett next to him twitch in expectancy.

"Yes. Look, Stanley," Carlisle said, giving a mild scoff and sighing. "Me and my family, we're...vampires."

Well, Stanley was _not_ expecting that.

Stanley couldn't help but chuckle, although the circumstances he found himself in were miles from being funny.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We're vampires," Carlisle repeated. "Me biting you, that got my venom into your system. That venom stopped your heart, which kept you from bleeding out, and saved your life."

 _That's why your heart hasn't been beating, and why you haven't been breathing._

"So…" Stanley started, wanting to ask questions, but not knowing what to ask. The family in front of him exchanged glances before Alice spoke.

"Basically, you'll stop aging, live forever, and have enhanced abilities."

Stanley thought to himself

Enhanced abilities?

 _Increased speed, strength, awareness, intelligence…the little girl, Alice, she can see into the future._

Stanley's eyes flickered over to Alice and he watched her carefully, thinking about what the voice just told him. He just looked forward again.

The family continued to stare at Stanley, waiting for him to say something, but the tightness in Stanley's throat increased to the point where it began to hurt as his nostrils flared.

He smelled something.

And it smelled... _good_.

 _Don't you dare,_ the voice warned before Stanley's mouth could even begin to water. _Stay seated, no matter what. Do not give in. They'll kill you if you try._

Stanley didn't know what that meant until he heard the door open and the smell intensified.

Whatever that smell was, Stanley's instincts wanted him to hunt it down and devour it.

Every fiber in his body forced him to stay seated, however, as he tried to abide by the voice's instructions and not his animalistic instincts. He was struggling as the smell grew in strength, his throat beginning to now burn.

"Where is he?" he heard a woman ask, her voice light. Like bells. "Is he awake?"

Stanley saw everyone's eyes shift to him as he struggled to stay planted on the couch.

 _Stay seated. Do not get up,_ the voice hissed.

He heard the family around him talk, but couldn't focus.

Stanley's throat was now on fire as the smell continued to fill his nose.

 _Stop smelling! Do not breath through your nose._

He plugged his nose, trusting the voice and making sure he did everything he could to remain seated. Thankfully, Stanley felt Emmett forcefully put his hands on Stanley, pushing him down to prevent him from standing up.

Stanley heard someone tell him to do it, but didn't know who or exactly what they said.

All Stanley could think of was that mouth-watering scent and the searing hot pain deep inside his throat. He wanted to release his fingers from his nose to allow that sweet, appetizing scent in, but the voice stopped him.

 _Get out of the house if you can't control yourself._

"Get him outside, now," Carlisle said, almost at the same time the voice spoke to Stanley. Emmett grabbed Stanley and forced him up. Him and Jasper led him towards the back door of the house and exited as Stanley continued to plug his nose.

"C'mon," Emmett said to Stanley and ran off.

 _Go with him_ , the voice told Stanley, and he took off after Emmett, feeling himself sprint with immense speed. Jasper was right behind him, making sure Stanley was not going to try and turn back.

Emmett finally stopped after a solid minute or two of running, as did Stanley, and he turned back to him.

"You should be good to unplug your nose now," Emmett said. Stanley did so and, although he could faintly smell the savory scent, it wasn't enough to compel him to attack whatever it was.

"I still smell it," Stanley groaned out, trying to focus on other things he smelled around him. There were other scents in the air that also smelled delicious, but not like the one he first smelled.

His throat was still scorching and he gave a pained moan again.

"Still?" Emmett asked, giving Jasper a confused look while also carefully eyeing Stanley.

"He's a newborn, Emmett. He's craving and that was a _human_ he smelled," Jasper said.

Stanley wanted to feel disgusted with himself. That scent that he wanted to track was a _human_.

However, he couldn't feel any disgust. He felt that it was normal, in a way.

" _Half_ human," Emmett corrected. Once again, Stanley became confused, but was drawn to the scent again.

 _Stay with them. Do not go back right now._

"That was a person?" Stanley growled. "That smell was a _person_?"

"Welcome to the life of a vampire, kid," Emmett laughed and nodded in the direction opposite of the house. "C'mon. Time for your first hunt."

 **A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying the story :) I'm ahead on my writing of it since I've had this idea for a while, so I'll try to post more chapters soon!**


	4. Despite the Circumstances

"He's gone," Carlisle called out from the family room. Edward, Bella, and Renesmee all already saw him exit through the back door with Emmett and Jasper before Carlisle even said anything.

"Yeah," Edward answered. "We know."

The three entered deeper into the house, Edward and Bella sitting on the same couch as Rosalie and Renesmee heading straight to Jacob, who was still looking through the fridge.

Everyone's eyes watched Bella and Edward as Edward casually put his arm around Bella. Rosalie, especially, seemed to be itching with anticipation for one of the two to ask about the new family member.

"So…" Bella asked slowly, Rosalie breaking into a small, bitter smile. "How is he?"

" _Oh_!" Rosalie gasped with a scoff. Bella could already sense the sarcasm and disdain forming on her lips. "You missed _quite_ the first impression."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked with a stifled sigh, as he was curious but already knew he was leading Rosalie into her own tirade.

He didn't need to read her mind to know that it was coming. Nearly a century of living with her was enough to know when one was coming.

Renesmee and Jacob entered the family room, sitting on the same couch as Alice.

Just in time for the show, Edward thought smugly to himself.

"Oh goodness," she sighed, tapping her lip with her finger sarcastically. "Well, for starters, he tried to escape; through a _window_."

"What?" Bella asked, looking over to Carlisle, who was just staring at Rosalie with a stoic and stern expression, not amused in the slightest.

"But wait, it gets _better_ ," Rosalie said with a fake smile, holding up a finger. Her smile disappeared, along with her facade of derision and her eyebrows slanted upwards in an expression of pity. "The poor boy wanted to escape so _badly_ that Emmett and Jasper had to _hold him down_ to prevent that."

Edward wasn't all too shocked or emotionally disturbed, but when he saw Bella, he saw her with her mouth slightly open and her eyes pleading at Carlisle.

"What?" She asked. "Is that true?"

"He was scared at first," Carlisle said in a cool, reassuring tone. "So, yes; he did try and escape. But," Carlisle continued, looking directly to Rosalie. "After Jasper helped calm him down a bit and I gave a brief explanation of things, he was fine."

"Oh, he was indeed _fine_ ," Rosalie hissed and paused, looking to Renesmee with a soft but firm expression. "If by _fine_ you mean about to attack Renesmee."

Bella flashed her eyes over to Renesmee, her semi-pale face turning as pale as a full vampire

"Rosalie-" Jacob snapped, but Alice cut him off.

"He didn't, though," She said quickly, looking to Rosalie. "He kept it together."

Rosalie scoffed. "Barely! Did you not see him just now? It was taking literally _every_ part of him to not-"

"So what?" Alice said back, her voice sharp. "He held it together, and that's what matters. He'll be _alright_."

Rosalie hesitated before answering, contemplating her next words carefully and strategically. It seemed like hours of silence, although it was probably two or three seconds. However, Edward was irritated by the wait and was about to read Rosalie's mind, but she spoke before he could.

"I don't doubt that he'll be _alright_ ," she responded, mocking how Alice said the word when she spoke. Rosalie then turned from Alice and looked amongst the rest of the family, her eyes scanning everyone carefully. "But for how long?" She projected her eyes again, seeming to scan for any flicker of emotion in someone's face. Seeming satisfied, she turned to Carlisle. "I'll tell you how long he'll be _alright_. He'll be _alright_ and _happy_ and _calm_ up until the moment that you tell him that he'll never be able to see his family again. Or his friends. Or work a normal job ever again. He'll be _alright_ until you tell him that eternity is a prison and that his life is _over_."

Rosalie got up furiously and stomped upstairs, slamming a door behind her.

Everyone sat in silence before Jacob broke the tension within the air.

"Didn't think vamps got their periods," he murmured. "Because Blondie is definitely PMSing."

Carlisle seemed to flinch at the comment.

"She's upset, and rightfully so," Carlisle said quietly. "Stanley is too much like her; both victims of crimes that left them vulnerable and victimized, both with no one to advocate for them."

"She'll get over it," Esme reassured Carlisle with a smile as she wrapped her arms around him. "Did you see how much Stanley trusted you?"

Edward couldn't help but smile a little, as Esme always knew how to make someone feel better and remind them of all the good they were worth. That, in itself, was a valuable power.

Carlisle matched Edward's smile and scoffed a little, putting a hand on one of Esme's. "Yes, he did seem to trust me, didn't he? I was a bit surprised myself." Carlisle's eyes flickered over to Alice briefly, but then looked back to the rest of us. "I do hope he'll react well to the news that he can't interact with his old life, however."

Carlisle shot his eyes over to Alice again for a half second and he leaned back in the sofa.

"I can't tell for sure how he'll react for sure," she said in a regretful tone, giving a flat frown. Carlisle, in response, shifted in a mild, restless way.

"Did he really want to attack me?" Renesmee asked in a small, fearful voice.

Edward internally cursed Rosalie for the comment she made in front of her own niece.

"Only because he's a newborn, dear," Esme said with a consoling smile.

"He doesn't know any better, and he was craving," Alice said, putting her hand on one of Renesmee's hand rubbing it soothingly with her thumb while giving Renesmee another smile of assurance.

"Don't take it personally," Carlisle said, also looking to Edward and Bella.

Edward had to stop himself from sneering at the obvious comment. Of _course_ he would not take it personally; Stanley was a newborn.

A _new_ newborn.

"Well, I guess we're even," Renesmee said dryly and sighed, giving an embarrassed smile. "When he was in the kitchen, it took every bit of me to not try _his_ blood."

"Well," Jacob murmured as he shifted his seated position, clearly uncomfortable. "That's one way to look at it, I guess."

Edward's head instinctively perked up, hearing the thoughts of four voices outside.

Jasper's thoughts were ones of caution and wariness, afraid that Stanley wouldn't make it back to the house without picking up a possible human's scent, carried by the wind.

Emmett's thoughts were excited and cheery. All he could think about was the fact that he now had a little brother and all the things he would teach him about being a vampire; especially a newborn.

The third Edward assumed belonged to Stanley, as it was a tornado of internal questions and overall confusion.

The fourth…

"Emmett and Jasper went with Stanley, you said?" Edward asked, looking to Carlisle after briefly scouring the room while taking a mental head count. Carlisle nodded and Edward looked down in confusion, as well as alertness.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, but before Edward could answer, he focused in on the voice that he singled out.

 _ **Remember; be calm. Control yourself if you don't want them to hurt you.**_

Edward shot his head back to the rear door, seeing his two brothers and one new brother return. Edward's face twisted into a dumbfounded expression as he looked to Stanley carefully. Stanley's body and face were rigid as he stared at Renesmee.

"You shoulda seen him out there!" Emmett shouted with a laugh. He hooked his arm around Stanley's shoulder and patted Stanley's chest with his free hand. "This kid is a _beast_!"

The rest of the family gave a snicker, but Edward kept his eyes carefully trained on Stanley.

 _It just smells too good. Better than outside and-_

 _ **They. Will. Kill. You. It's you or her; they'll choose her.**_

Edward's brows raised slightly.

The fourth voice _also_ came from Stanley.

"Stanley," Carlisle smiled, standing up. "There's a few more people I should introduce you to."

Edward's eyes flickered over to Alice and she met his gaze, lifting her head a bit in optimism.

 _Relax, Edward,_ she told him. He grit his teeth but she just shook her head slightly. _He's not going to hurt her._

Stanley walked in slowly, Emmett and Jasper following close behind him. Stanley continued to stare at Renesmee and Edward quickly stood up, as did Bella.

"I'm Edward," he said promptly, causing Stanley's head to turn to Edward. "And this is my wife, Bella."

 _ **Her parents.**_

"Pleasure to meet you two," Stanley said stiffly, shaking their hands. He turned slowly to Renesmee and Jacob, looking to Renesmee specifically. "I'm-" he stopped abruptly, closing his eyes and groaning in pain. Emmett carefully grabbed Stanley's arm and tugged him back a little. Stanley kept his feet planted, however.

"Jacob," Carlisle quietly said, keeping his eyes on Stanley.

 _ **Stop breathing through your nose. Don't smell the air.**_

 _It smells like dog, too. Wet dog. My god, is that him-?_

Edward broke into a tiny smile as he saw Stanley shift his eyes to Jacob, his nose wrinkled up in disgust.

 _ **Yes. He's a shapeshifter.**_

 _Whatever that means,_ Stanley thought to himself.

"Maybe you should take Renesmee out of the room for now," Carlisle said, Stanley's eyes shifting back to Renesmee when Carlisle said her name. After a second or two, Stanley closed his eyes again and forced his back to them. "This is...very painful for him right now."

 _Hallelujah, praise every holy angel in the sky. She needs to leave right now, I can't-_

"Yeah," Jacob answered and stood up, taking his hand in Renesmee's. "Sure thing."

The two exited the room and Stanley took a deep breath in through his nose, instinctively starting to walk to where Renesmee and Jacob exited.

 _ **Stop breathing!**_

Emmett stopped him with caution and a bit of gentleness. He led Stanley to the empty sofa in the room and sat him down, finally releasing his grip on Stanley's arm. Emmett sat next to him and Jasper sat next to Alice.

Stanley made a noise in his throat that sounded like he was clearing it, but it was more of a groan, as he leaned back rigidly.

 _ **He's a mind reader. The father of the half-human.**_

Stanley glanced to Edward and his mouth opened a bit in confusion, his brows down firmly. Stanley continued to stare at Edward and swallowed nervously.

 _Yeah, right_.

"It's true," Edward said, keeping a gaze with Stanley. Stanley's dry expression broke as his eyebrow twitched in wonder. "Seems like you should listen to that voice of yours more often," Edward scoffed in regards to the mysterious second voice within Stanley that seemed to guide him, in a way.

Stanley just continued to stare at Edward, mouth still open in awe, but now also a little bit of fear.

"What voice?" Carlisle asked curiously. "What do you mean, Edward?"

"There's another voice that I hear in him," he answered, continuing to stare at Stanley. Edward was curious, but also a bit wary about Stanley and him focusing on the scent from his daughter, so wasn't going to take his eyes off Stanley just yet.

"Another voice?" Emmett asked with a chuckle.

"It started when I woke up," Stanley said in a low, shaky voice. He looked to Carlisle with pleading eyes. "It, like...tells me things about my surroundings." Stanley glanced subtly over to Alice, nodding to her. "Told me she can see the future. Is that true?"

"It is," Alice said proudly.

"And told me that one guy is a shapeshifter," Stanley sighed, becoming worried again.

"Sounds like a form of ESP," Carlisle said and Stanley's eyes perked with interest.

"As in extrasensory perception?" Stanley asked with nervous laughter, like he didn't believe what he was hearing. Carlisle nodded.

"Isn't that pseudo psychology?" Jasper asked, also scoffing a bit.

"So are telepathy and precognition," Carlisle muttered with a small smile.

Stanley, however, was not smiling.

"So…" he said slowly, rolling his eyes and clearing his throat. "I'm a psychic now? Thought I was a vampire." He pulled his lips over his teeth, darting his eyes to the side where Renesmee and Jacob went. "Isn't that why I wanted to drink that girl's blood?" He asked through gritted teeth, clearly disgusted with himself.

 _ **Watch your tongue. Don't say things that'll make them think of you as a threat.**_

Stanley straightened himself out in response to his inner voice and shut his mouth.

"Yes, but don't worry," Carlisle said, clearly detecting how repulsed Stanley was with the fact that he _wanted_ to drink human blood.

Well, _half_ -human blood.

"We're vegetarian vampires," Carlisle continued.

 _ **Animals only.**_

"Animals only?" Stanley asked, repeating his inner voice. Everyone nodded and that seemed to relax Stanley just a bit. "Ok...so...are all vampires, er, psychologically...gifted?" Stanley asked with a tilted head, not entirely knowing how to phrase the odd question.

"No," Carlisle said and nodded to Edward, Alice, and then Bella. "Edward and Alice, as you know, are. Bella is a shield, which means she is immune to any powers." Stanley's eyes looked to the three of them as Carlisle explained and Carlisle looked to Jasper. "And Jasper can control emotions."

"Is that why I still feel unnaturally..." Stanley asked in a dull voice.

Edward heard her think of the word before she said it.

 _Placid_.

"Placid?" everyone heard Rosalie say, finishing the sentence for Stanley. They all turned their heads to her, Edward continuing to curiously reading her thoughts.

Her extremely negative thoughts.

"Not exactly the word I'd use, but…" Stanley grumbled with a scoff. "Yeah."

Edward watched attentively as Rosalie reentered the family room, back from her minor tantrum. Carlisle was right, in a sense. Edward supposed that she _did_ have a right to be upset, but what she was thinking was starting to upset him.

Within the second or so from the time she spoke to the time she sat next Emmett, he heard it all.

 _He's going to snap, just you wait,_ she was thinking while looking directly to Edward, as she already knew he would be listening in. _I'm not the only one that actually values mortality; he will too. He's going to lash out and I'll be right there to tell everyone 'I told you so.'_

Edward shoved the urge to snarl at Rosalie down his throat and just shook his head to himself slightly.

What was her problem?

Well, he _knew_ her problem, but just couldn't sympathize with or understand her attitude as much as Carlisle could. He was much more compassionate and patient than Edward was when it came to Rosalie.

 _Think about it; he was a paramedic, Edward_ , she continued. _It's going to kill him if he comes across a human and can't control himself._

"Why do you guys all have yellow eyes?" Stanley asked, interrupting Edward listening to Rosalie's thoughts. He asked in a bit of a raised tone indicating his interest. His own red, newborn eyes were surveying us with inquisitiveness.

"The vegetarian diet," Jasper replied.

"Yours will be red for some time, a few months to a year," Esme said, adding on.

"Why?"

 _ **You're a newborn; a new vampire,**_ Stanley's inner voice of ESP told him before Carlisle even had the chance to answer.

"You're a new vampire, or a newborn," Carlisle explained. "Once you get adjusted to our animal diet, your eyes will change."

"Assume you have no problem with an animal diet?" Emmett questioned with a small, friendly smile as he nudged Stanley's arm lightly.

"No, no problem," Stanley said with an eager shake of the head.

"Good," Carlisle said and hesitated before continuing, leaning forward a little bit, resting his elbows on his knees. "Now, Stanley, since I was the one who changed you, me and my family; we're responsible for you."

"'Responsible' for me?" Stanley snorted with a confused smile.

"Since you are a newborn, you're stronger than the rest of us and more...impulsive."

"Impulsive?" Stanley repeated, his smile disappearing. "In what context?"

"In the context that," Alice said in a calm but firm voice, like Carlisle's. "If you were to come across a human, you...wouldn't be able to control yourself."

Everyone heard Stanley's nervous gulp echo off the walls, his face going static.

"But," Bella quickly intervened with, Edward could tell, a forced but friendly smile. "Don't worry. I'm the newest one here, besides you, so I can give you some pointers if you ever need, ok?"

"Yeah," Stanley sighed. "Alright."

"With this in mind, it is safest for us and yourself if you stay with us," Carlisle said, however, keeping it vague. Not specifying how long or the fact that he must cut off all contact from his previous life. "If you live in this house."

"Yeah," he nodded, almost eagerly.

 _This seems good, they seem nice and trustworthy. I mean, they saved my life, the least I can do is abide by their rules for now._

 _ **That's the best way to stay alive.**_

Edward gave himself a tiny nod, approving of Stanley's positive thoughts.

"Thank you," Carlisle said, discreetly looking to Rosalie. Stanley didn't notice and even if he did, he would have no idea what the look would've meant. The rest of the family noticed, however, and clearly knew what it was about. "For being so understanding."

"Thank you, for saving my life," Stanley said, giving a bit of a jumpy laugh, although Edward could tell by his thoughts that Stanley was genuinely starting to relax a bit more now.

"C'mon," Emmett said, standing up. "I'll give you a tour of the house."

"Renesmee-" Edward quickly said, but Alice shook her head and cut him off.

"She'll be fine. They went outside anyway," Alice interjected, but Edward glanced to Jasper.

 _Yeah,_ he said, answering Edward's silent request to go with Emmett to help watch over Stanley.

"You need a change of clothes, too," Emmett laughed at him, looking to his blood-stained paramedic uniform. Stanley followed Emmett upstairs with Jasper trailing behind Stanley, Emmett deciding to start the tour there first.

"That was easier than I expected," Carlisle said with a smile, putting a hand to Esme's leg.

"You left out a detail when explaining everything to him," Rosalie said and Edward rolled his eyes.

"Did you just come back down here to continue all of this?" Esme asked, motioning with her hands. She spoke in a serene voice, but sternness surrounded it.

"I just wanted to see the show," Rosalie said politely, regarding Stanley getting angry and snapping. She glanced over to Alice and shrugged. "I can't see the future however, so clearly, I underestimated when the _show_ was going to occur."

"Can you just stop? Just be happy that he's calm and not trying to attack all of us," Edward grumbled, glaring at Rosalie.

"What?" She asked, her voice like venom and her eyes narrow. She seemed hurt. "You don't think I'm happy for the boy?" She paused, shaking her head and closing her eyes for a moment, opening them again and looking to Edward. "I _am_ happy," she said in a tone that made it seem genuine. Her eyebrows were slanted upwards in sympathy and sincerity. Edward quickly read her thoughts, and realized she _was_ being genuine. "Good for him that he's easy-going right now." Her eyebrows turned, though, and her expression went from soft to serious. "But I'm not naive, Edward. I'm preparing for a negative response from him. It wouldn't hurt everyone else to do the same," she said, her eyes looking to Carlisle, Alice, and Esme. " _Especially_ when we saw him try to escape through a window."

"We _will_ prepare for a negative response," Carlisle said and Rosalie looked to him. "But, right now, all I see is a young man who has just been given a second life and is taking it well, despite the odd circumstances. Now, I don't know about you, but it's refreshing to see a new, young face enjoying a second chance." Carlisle wasn't thinking about Bella, since her circumstances were different. He was thinking about Emmett, and Rosalie seemed to notice that too. "It's been too long since we've seen that, and I'd like to enjoy it as much as possible."

Rosalie tilted her head a bit, not seeming entirely too convinced or satisfied.

 _Did he really just use Emmett as an example to try and appeal to me?_ she asked Edward without looking to him.

Finally, after a few seconds of silence, she broke her stone-cold expression and shrugged.

"Fair enough," she mumbled in a barely audible tone, although Edward could tell that she did not think that was _fair enough._

Not in the slightest.


End file.
